


Bubbles and Snuggles

by LadyStrangeandUnusual (Dream_Wreaver)



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: BJ just wants to take care of his wife, Cuddles, F/M, Lydis is clingy when she's sick, Musicalbabes, Nonsexual Shared Baths, Sick Character, beetlebabes, implied established relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:49:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21507682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/LadyStrangeandUnusual
Summary: Lydia comes down with a fever. Beetlejuice freaks out. Barbara tells him he needs to help her however she asks.
Relationships: Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz
Comments: 6
Kudos: 204





	Bubbles and Snuggles

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while, sorry. Have a Drabble I wrote based on a doodle from a friend. Hope you enjoy!

Lydia wasn’t feeling good. She wasn’t sick, but she wasn’t her wonderful, abnormal self either. And Beetlejuice was concerned. Normally death was something he didn’t fear, but the thought of Lydia dying, of being sent to that place, it filled him with a fear and anxiety he’d not known before. Anytime she felt unwell he began to freak out, and this was no exception. It took the Maitlands sitting down and firmly having a talk with him for him to calm himself. And even then, he was helicoptering.

While Lydia slept, Beetlejuice hovered overhead, determined to make sure nothing would disturb her rest and even invading her dreams when it looked like she was having a nightmare. When that shadow of a fear was firmly taken care over he returned to the waking world to find her still shivering and sweating he began freaking out even more. And so, he cloned himself so one of him could run down to ask Barbara for soup, or medicine, or whatever Lydia might need to make her feel better, meanwhile the other stayed by her side to otherwise tend to her. He dropped to his feet and passed a cold hand over her, brushing away the sweat-slicked bangs and steadying his hand when she let out a soft sigh and arched into the icy touch.

The Beetleclone and Barbara returned shortly. The more maternal of Lydia’s two present mothers Barbara took one look at the sight and instantly deduced what was going on,

“She’s probably got a fever,” Barbara surmised, “Normally I’d check her temperature myself but… being dead and all,” she shrugged, “Judging by the sweat, the red cheeks, and the fact that she’s willingly touching _you_ means she’s probably not feeling herself.”

“What does that mean though Babs?” Beetlejuice asked, “She’s… she ain’t gonna-”

“No Beetlejuice,” Barbara sighed with matronly patience and exasperation, “Lydia will be fine so long as we keep an eye on her and she’s able to get some rest. It’s probably from exhaustion, you’ve been dragging her around late at night with no regard for weather or her body’s needs for function. Maybe _this_ will teach you to be more careful when you two go gallivanting off,” even as she said this, Barbara shook her head, knowing it was somewhat fruitless advice. Lydia hated being coddled, and Beetlejuice could get extra clingy when he was like this. Not only that, Beetlejuice was weak when Lydia asked him for something. So, this would probably happen again, just because that combination of personality traits was a recipe for repeated disaster.

Barbara sighed again, “I’ll head downstairs and see if we have the ingredients to make chicken soup. She might not have a cold or the flu, but chicken soup has a way of making everything feel better. If Lydia wakes up, make sure she gets some water, and do whatever she asks you to do so she can get some more rest. If she wants a hot towel, get it, if she wants an ice pack, get it. The only thing she shouldn’t be getting is into more trouble, got it Beetlejuice?” Barbara asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

“But-”

“I mean…” Barbara added, knowing the only way to get him to listen would be to play on his affection for Lydia, “You don’t want her to get _worse_ , do you?”

“ _No_!” he said quickly, and loudly, “I mean, no,” he corrected, mindful of his volume and the sleeping goth in the bed, “I’ll keep her outta trouble until she gets better Babs. If for nothing else than this, you can count on me.”

Barbara let a small smile cross her lips at his earnest sincerity. He had a point. If it was for Lydia’s sake, they could always count on him, “I know Beetlejuice,” she nodded and headed back downstairs.

Beetlejuice pulled his hand away only for Lydia to start tossing and turning again. She also began to whine as though she were extremely uncomfortable. One eye opened, glassy and far away,

“ _Hot_!” her voice was high, keening, not at all like her wonderful abnormal self. She sounded… _needy_. And Satan help him, Beetlejuice was a simple demon, he liked being wanted, liked being needed. Demons weren’t exactly known for their ability to resist temptation, so how could he be expected to do anything less?

As she kicked the covers off of her Beetlejuice grabbed a hold of her hand. Lydia began to settle but she was still complaining of being hot. Whenever Beetlejuice tried to move and spread his deathly chill to help her out she’d still complain. Eventually, somehow, it got to be that he was hovering over her while she clung to his lapels. Beetlejuice sighed, muttered a quick, “fuck it,” under his breath, and with a snap of his fingers he was lying on the bed with Lydia curled up against him. She immediately settled at that and to make sure she didn’t get _too_ cold Beetlejuice dragged the blanket up over them. Lydia dozed and slept for what felt like forever, Beetlejuice certainly could have _stayed_ there forever. Curled up with Lydia who clung to him, no cares, no trouble, nowhere to be but here. It was probably the second closest thing to heaven he knew he’d ever experience. The first well… that could wait for another day. One where Lydia didn’t feel like she was feeling now.

Lydia eventually woke, bleary-eyed and still crappy but much better than before. She remembered faint scraps, of what might have been a nightmare but one that quickly turned directions, of feeling like she was going to burn out and the cool sensation of relief as it started at her forehead and seeped down from there. She remembered voices, one frantic and concerned and the other more calm and collected. Then she remembered the heat coming back, and that nice cold moving over her until she was snuggled up right beside it. And that was how she woke, feeling cooler than she had before, and staring into dingy stripes. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice had been that nice cold thing that had helped take the heat of her fever away. And actually right now he was a more comfortable temperature now than he normally was. He always got like that when they cuddled. Lydia let out a sigh of contentment through her nose and snuggled in deeper. True, Beetlejuice did not bathe, but he didn’t actually smell of anything either. While he may have looked disgusting it was all mostly that, a look.

“You awake babes?” Beetlejuice asked, looking down at her.

“Yeah,” wow her voice sounded weak, “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough,” Beetlejuice’s hand came down to pet her hair, “How ya feelin’?”

“Like shit,” Lydia answered honestly, voice now a little stronger but still weak. She heard a snap and then he was offering her a water glass,

“Drink,” he ordered without any authority or malice. To be honest it sounded like it was something he’d been instructed to tell her. Probably by Barbara, Barbara was the one who knew how to handle colds best.

But she did what she knew Barbara would want. The water did make her feel a bit better, settling the redness of her throat as it travelled down her esophagus, and she finished the glass with record speed. But she still felt grimy and gross from all the sweating she’d done previously. And as she took stock of her limbs she realized she was too weak to walk. She could have Beetlejuice get Barbara or Delia but…

“Beetlejuice?” she looked up at him as he finished setting the glass back on her nightstand, “Could you…” god she sounded so needy and clingy, but it could be forgiven because she wasn’t feeling well right? “Could you help me… take a bath?” realizing how that could be interpreted Lydia quickly added, “Not a sexy bath, it’s just… I feel gross and I can’t walk right now.”

“Babes, I get it,” Beetlejuice said, sliding away from her only to heft her up in his arms, “Not particularly fond of the idea of sick sex anyways. Nothin’ less sexy than watchin’ someone hack up a lung, though I’m sure you’d be able to change my mind,” his smile was less smarmy and more amused and teasing, “‘Sides, Babs’ got me under strict orders to do whatever ya need to feel better ‘n keep ya outta trouble. C’mon Scarecrow, let’s getcha in the tub,”

He carried her bridal style into the bathroom, setting her on the counter while he fiddled with the knobs. Since he was dead, it was hard to gauge temperature, but Lydia said she usually preferred it hot anyways. He watched the tub fill up with water, and recalled something about bubbles being soothing, so with a snap so there were bubbles too. He turned and saw Lydia futility fiddling with one of the buttons on her dress. She felt so weak she couldn’t even undo them.

Lydia glanced up at him and blushed, looking away as her hands dropped. The question unspoken. _“Can you help me?”_

With a snap of his fingers she was ready for the tub. Beetlejuice scooped her up into his arms and deposited her into the water. His sleeves were rolled up and he reached for the soap, something Lydia never thought in a million years she would ever see him doing.

“What are you doing?” she asked, even as she began to unwind with the water relaxing the stress in her body.

“You need to get… cleaned up,” Beetlejuice said, not quite resisting the urge to gag at the word clean, “But considerin’ yer too weak to walk ‘n too weak to get your own clothes off I’m gonna assume you’re too weak to get yourself clean.”

“And you plan on doing that… from outside the tub?” Lydia arched a brow.

“Not exactly a fan of the idea of givin’ _myself_ a wash ‘n you know it,” Beetlejuice replied.

“Fair enough,” Lydia shrugged, “But,” she added, “I wouldn’t mind the company, the water’s still a little… too warm.”

“I can make it cold with a snap,” Beetlejuice grunted, taking one of her arms and beginning to make a lather across it.

“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind Beetlejuice,” Lydia pressed, “Come take a bath with me.”

“Why?” he asked her.

“I may be sick now, but eventually I’ll get better. And I may be so inclined to reward someone who’s gone along with everything I asked for to help make me feel better, you know?” Lydia raised a brow again.

Beetlejuice released the soap into the water and with another snap he was with her in the tub. Thank god Delia had convinced her father to buy a big one. There was plenty of room for the two of them there. Even so Lydia drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. Beetlejuice still looked a little uncomfortable, being in clean water wasn’t his favorite pastime, but being with Lydia made it better. Beetlejuice hunched his own legs up and rested his chin in his hand, braced on the edge of the tub. It wasn’t long until he realized he was staring at her, and she was doing the same, with what he hoped was the same stupid smile he had on his face.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Lydia asked, raising a brow, “You’re not still worried I’m gonna die because of a little fever are you?”

“Nah,” he shook his head, “Not now anyways.”

“Then what?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “Jus’ like lookin’ atcha’s all.”

Lydia let out a small breath of laughter, “You dirty, decaying flirt.”

“Thought I was a creepy old guy,” Beetlejuice shot back, no malice in his tone at all.

“Yeah,” Lydia admitted, sloshing forward so she could cuddle up next to him and placing a slightly damp kiss on his cheek, “But you’re _my_ creepy old guy. Thanks for being here for me Beej,”

“Anytime Babes,” he replied, “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you all next time Netherlings!


End file.
